Six cool places to really chill out in the Philippines

There are times in the Philippines when no matter how cool the pool, or how cold the beer, the constant heat can get on top of you. A trip to the mall — or any other air-conditioned place — can provide a temporary reprieve, but sometimes only fresh, crisp air and gentle breezes will do. So here are six places in the Philippines where you can — quite literally — chill out:

Negros Occidental

Slightly further off the tourist trail is the summer capital of Negros Occidental — Don Salvador Benedicto, which is 2,500ft above sea level.

Surrounded by stunning countryside, DSB, as it’s known locally, deserves many more visitors than it currently receives. (Just don’t tell everyone).

The temperatures are just like in Banaue — in other words, perfectly pleasant.

Batanes

Scotland? New Zealand? No, it’s Batanas

The rugged islands forming the northernmost part of the Philippines are splendidly cool from November to February, with a yearly average temperature of 26c/79f.

The landscape is likened by many to New Zealand or Scotland, with rolling hills, vast pastures and dramatic cliffs, and there is no shortage of things to see and do.

There is a common misconception that Batanes is constantly battered by typhoons — this is because it holds the northernmost weather station in the Philippines and so is a reference point for all typhoons moving south to the country.

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